The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a decorative plate, and particularly to a method of manufacturing a decorative plate with an anodic oxide film thereon.
A decorative plate can be used as a commemorative plaque, a trophy plate, or as a part of another device, for instance, as a front cover of a portable electronic device. Conventional methods to produce decorative plates include etching and electroplating. The etching method mainly comprises the steps of: forming a metal substrate, printing a desired pattern on the metal substrate in ink and drying the pattern, and etching the metal substrate in the areas without ink using an etching agent, thus forming a stereoscopic ink pattern on the surface of the metal substrate. However, it is easy to form trickling traces on the surface of the metal substrate when the etching agent etches the metal substrate, and the quality of the formed pattern is not good. The electroplating method, which is described in Chinese application publication No. CN1105071, includes the steps of: polishing and washing a metal substrate, printing an ink pattern on the metal substrate, and plating the metal substrate to form a metallic layer on the ink pattern. However, electroplating the metallic layer is relatively expensive. Additionally, the patterns formed by the two conventional methods above both use ink patterns, and the adhesion between the ink and the substrates can be a problem.
Therefore, an improved method for manufacturing a decorative plate is desired which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a decorative plate which yields a more brilliant pattern than which is manufactured by conventional methods.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method to manufacture a decorative plate which yields a brilliant pattern firmly combining with the substrate of the decorative plate.
A method of manufacturing a decorative plate includes the steps of: preparing a substrate and covering selected areas of the substrate with a protective film; anodizing the substrate; and removing the protective film, to expose metallic surfaces in the selected areas of the substrate.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: